


Even weeds are beautiful

by Inspiration_with_no_expiration



Series: Floral Ferns and Royal Roses [1]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Canonical Character Death, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Magic, Plot Twists, Sneaking Out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29346561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inspiration_with_no_expiration/pseuds/Inspiration_with_no_expiration
Summary: The prologue to the upcoming main series "Floral Ferns and Royal Roses".Mari is the best sister Sunny could've ever asked for. Even when she's busy with her duties to become the next ruler of Faraway Kingdom, She always makes time for him. Even if you could say learning magic is a strange sibling bonding activity, Sunny's never minded it, even though she tells him to never tell anyone about it. He'll take any excuse to spend time with her, even if that time is cut in half when she sneaks out to meet her friends. She promises she'll take him along someday, but Sunny has never been a patient one and decides to go out on his own to catch up with her.what he doesn't know is that life has to draw a line somewhere. And soon he'll be the one with the short end of the stick.{SPOILERS FOR OMORI, FINISH THE GAME BEFORE READING THIS}
Relationships: Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Hero/Mari (OMORI)
Series: Floral Ferns and Royal Roses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155626
Comments: 11
Kudos: 81





	1. Quick question: How do you scale down a castle wall?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TLDR: Sunny sneaks out of the castle to find Mari, while dealing with inner conflicts.
> 
> {DISCLAIMER}:  
> There is a part in this chapter that displays some thinking that can be inferred as suicidal, or displays themes of self loathing.  
> If you're uncomfortable/triggered by that sort of thing, then I'd suggest skipping this chapter and referring to the TLDR for a recap.
> 
> (for me, after writing that, it hit me hard since some of it reflected my own feelings back at me. So I'm not entirely sure how effective it is on others, but I want to be safe in case someone out there feels the same way that Sunny does in that scene. The mental health of my audience comes first before any writing.)
> 
> Anyways, with that I hope you enjoy this first chapter and thanks for reading.

Mari is the best big sister Sunny could've ever asked for. Even when she's busy with her duties to become the next ruler of Faraway Kingdom, She always makes time for him.

But today she's sneaking out once again to meet her friends in Faraway Kingdom. And once again, Sunny isn't allowed to come; He always wondered why she was so adamant about that. He was already 12 years of age, not the age to be a monarch of course, but most people found that to be the age where they can take care of themselves. And sure he's lead a more comfortable life than most, But he can surely take a trip outside the castle walls for a bit and not cause an implosion right?

With that notion Sunny drops the book he'd been reading on his bed. It had been on the back burner of his mind anyways, and wasn't giving him much of a distraction than he hoped it would. He gets up and starts pacing the room, wondering how he would be able to escape from his quarters AND escape the castle without anyone noticing. Because if Mari thought he was too much of a child to go out on his own, then he'll prove her wrong. He'll go out, catch up to where she is, and shove it in her face about how wrong she was. _okay maybe not that last part._

But he just needed to figure out _how._ That's when noises of peaceful summer morning finally become apparent to him as he turns over to his open window. There was a slight breeze that morning, causing the curtains to stir. but besides the small chill it had been a perfect morning. And that idea of a perfect morning had given Sunny, A _perfect_ idea. It was so simple, that he curses himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"I should just climb down the window." Sunny mumbles to himself. With his new conviction he rushes over to go look down from his bedroom window, only to regret that decision to see how dreadfully high up he was. Now this wouldn't be a problem for anyone else, just an inconvenience where they would be slightly afraid but manage to be brave enough to climb all the way down. Just like in every single adventure book Sunny's ever read where something like this happens. But Sunny's not like any of the heroes in his books, because last he checked, **there was no hero that was DEATHLY afraid of heights!**

Sunny suddenly becomes stricken with paralyzing fear making him unable to move. he grips onto the windowsill as his view of down below makes him dizzy, pushing back the urge to vomit. This was a bad idea he thought, _this was a really **really** bad idea _he repeated in his head. He was now wishing he'd never thought of this, that he should just shut the window and go back to reading his book where nothing can hurt him. But that's when a sense of clarity washes over him in the form of his sister's encouragement that remembers hearing a long time ago.

_"Take a deep breath... Don't be afraid. It is not as scary as you think."_

He breathes in, and then he breathes out. With that, all then tension from him dissipates, and he **calms down**. He looks back down at the faraway ground from his window. It is still unimaginably frightening, but, not as bad as before. This is enough for him to still want to climb down, but how would he do it? Surely it would be a terrible idea to just throw himself out the window or climb down without much to keep his bearings steady. He just needed another variable to make this less risky. That's when his bed catches his eye, it was a comfortable bed, with a velvet canopy and white sheets; there nothing else for it offer besides comfort. And that's when at that exact moment, he remembered something. Sunny rushed over to his bed and pulled off the sheets with haste, making the force knock his book to the floor, but he couldn't care less. He was more focused on how long the sheet was, and to his dismay, it wasn't long enough. And thus began his search for more bed sheets.

Sunny came up with his idea from a book he read with his sister. He didn't remember what it was called but it had something to do with a princess and a monster, to not much surprise it didn't really interest him. But Mari really liked it, said it was interesting how you could fall for someone just by who they are inside and not by their looks. But besides that there was a point in the book where the princess tries to escape from the castle, by taking all the bed sheets in her room and turns them into a makeshift rope to scale down the wall with. Now he wasn't very sure how solid this plan was since it had only been done in fiction, but a plan is better than no plan at all.

After searching for awhile, he'd finally found what he was looking for. A small closet in the corner of his room filled to the brim with sheets, comforters, and towels. He grabbed as many bed sheets as he could, to the point that the stack was almost reached his forehead. He hastily placed the sheets on his bed and got to work. Following what felt like a hundred years, he finally finished typing all the sheets together with knots. He wasn't sure how sturdy each of the knots were since he wasn't especially good at tying them, But he thinks they look okay.

Sunny grabs his handy work and ties it to the curtain track. He gives it a slight tug to tell if it holds and surprisingly, it does. And now it was for the moment of truth, he pushed the rest of his make shift rope out window. Got up on the windowsill, holding on the rope for good measure. Making sure that what he steps on has good enough room for his foot before putting his weight on it. Then he does it, he made his first step down. Y'know in this kind of moment you'd think you'd be proud of yourself or something. But, Sunny was absolutely mortified. Sure, the wall outside was made of cobblestone and he should be grateful for that. But, **he could fall.** He could fall and die! Or worse get caught by someone outside and get punished by his father to be locked up in his room for who knows how long? _Okay, maybe this really was a bad idea. But! I'm still doing it._ Because Sunny may not be a rebellious child but he wasn't a sticker for the rules either. Especially when the one enforcing them was his father who smells like feet.

And that thought is what makes him climb down faster, or even climb at all. He made it a game to give him motivation (and distract him from how high it was), that he had to escape from the ugly troll who was disguised as the king. By the time he was just about come up with backstory plots, he noticed the rope was already at it's end.....but the wall wasn't. ~~Shit.~~

Sure he had made it down most of the wall, but it was still a long way down and he could very much break his back if he fell. _This is bad, This is **very** bad! _It's not like he could climb the rest of the way up, he was too tired and people would notice he was on the wall by the time he made it back. As Sunny panicked he didn't notice his grip was starting to unfasten on his makeshift rope, at least not until it gave out. He was falling. And honestly, it felt like an appropriate outcome. Sunny had always tried his best at things, but would always fail because of sheer dumb luck or self sabotage. Sure he had being the prince going for him, but it was nothing to sneeze at in the long run. He was just born lucky, from forces outside of his control he was given a good standing; but none of that was **actually** him. Unlike his sister, he never took advantage of that. He never did anything amazing with his status to help anyone or achieve anything outstanding; and no one ever expected him to. Like his father said, "Second born, means second _place_. You're only a replacement for if your sister screws up." And as discouraging as it sounds, he wouldn't have it any other way. Sunny wasn't fit to run a kingdom, He never had what Mari has. He could never fit the mold that Mari was shaped to be. So if he were to die right now, it wouldn't change anything; Sure someone in world would care, but everything would go on without a hitch. And he would just be the brat that couldn't handle having everything...

Suddenly Sunny snapped back into reality when he landed earlier than he expected to. His landing didn't hurt much as expected, in fact **where** he landed was a shock to him as well. A conveniently sized bush beside the castle wall broke his fall, leaving only a few tears and scratches on him, but besides that he was the picture of good physical health. Mentally on the other hand, Sunny was left in a state of disbelief. How did he actually survive that?! From where he was holding onto the rope he swore there was no way he could've-

And that's when Sunny looks back up to where his rope cut off to see it was only a few feet above him. Making the fall at best a 15 second drop, even though it felt longer to him. But at this point, Sunny had felt he had been so brainless or better yet cowardly, to think that such a drop could kill him. Of course he knew he wasn't entirely at fault due to how look higher from where from where you are but being so over dramatic in his thought process was out of character for him. It felt like a story trying to pull one on the reader to think that a character was going to die when they weren't, I mean he'd certainly been fooled.

He shook off his thoughts, he needed to **focus** ; there were bigger fish to fry and he could find time to think about his emotional baggage later. He quickly climbed up the wall a little to pull down his sheet rope, once he had gotten it all down, he hid it into the bush he landed on and moved on. Sunny didn't have much of a plan for when the time would come for him to return, but he would think of something once he found Mari. After cautiously making his way through the court yard, keeping an eye out for any prying eyes. He made it to the entrance of the draw bridge, there weren't any guards from where he was entering, but he knew that there would be on the other side, so he would have to come with a strategy. Thankfully, there was a noble family leaving that he could use to his advantage. Sunny immediately ran past the guards, even added a small "wait up!" to insinuate that he was leaving with them. And luckily that was enough to convince them if they had ever been suspicious of him in the first place. Though he made sure to slow down a little behind them, so they wouldn't notice he was there to question, and they never noticed or questioned him as made their way cross the entire bridge and into town.

When the family got into their carriage is when Sunny stopped following them. He felt accomplished as he stood in front the castle gate, he had snuck out completely on his own. Which was a weird thing to feel pride about, but his father stunk like feet, so what could he do? Well he did know what he was going to do, which was far simpler than what he had just achieved. Find Mari, prove to her how capable he was. It wouldn't be that hard;

Right?


	2. Flower Stomping = Treason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TLDR: Sunny made his way out of the castle, but now he has to find his way around the kingdom. And it's a surprise at who meets along his way. Wait. Since when was his name Omori?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took awhile, motivation is a bitch and I'm still a student. But I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^
> 
> -inspiration with no expiration.

After walking for awhile, Sunny finally made it to more busier streets. Compared the quaint quiet of what seemed to be a high end neighborhood outside the castle, these streets were filled with activity. Everywhere you looked something was happening, and even if you looked in one direction you'd miss something in the other. Sunny may or may not know this from making himself dizzy by looking in so many spots. The middle of street was especially chaotic, with carriages and wagons of all kinds of shapes and color trying to make their way through traffic. Sunny was very curious of his surroundings but also very overwhelmed by chaos of it all, it was almost too much. So he just decided to focus on what he needed to do first, curiosity killed the cat as they say, and Sunny didn't want to become road kill. Though as Sunny pressed forward he became increasingly aware of how much harder this was going to be than he anticipated. _Where was he going to find Mari? Did she ever tell him where she was going today?_ _She didn't._ Sunny began to silently panic, he never asked her where she was going to be at, much less what she was going to do! How was he supposed to find her now? It's not like he knew where he was that well either...

Sunny took a deep breath, he may not know where to find Mari. But he has to keep going, he's already gone too far to stop now. He needs to **persist**. Sunny thought back on all the times Mari talked about her days sneaking out. Surprisingly _but not really_ , most of them were her gushing about Hero and how nice of a guy he was. Sunny tuned her out a lot when she was like this so she could get it out of her system. _Girls, so_ _**weird** ; _besides that, Mari talked about this field outside the kingdom on the outskirts where she would have picnics with Hero and his brother. _Bingo I should check_ there.

It was a bit of a struggle in the process of finding it. He was quite small, so getting through the masses of people on the sidewalk was already a challenge. But finding a sense a direction in the mess was a nightmare. But thankfully after a few kind passersby pointing him in the right direction, he found a wagon that offers passage to the outskirts. There was a line forming to get on, So Sunny joined in waiting till he was in front.

"You gonna pay the toll, kid?" The man asked, gesturing to the leather pouch in his grip. Sunny didn't know how to react, he hadn't thought to bring money with him.

"Are you gonna pay up or not? You're holding up the line." The man asked again impatiently, his eyes narrowing with more bite to his tone.

"I... I don't have money.." Sunny answered, avoiding the man's harsh gaze on him to not set him off further.

It didn't help though, the man went off on Sunny with words that were like poison. "Service isn't given out for free, some of us have work hard for it. Though you wouldn't know that, would you brat? Now beat it!" He yelled pointing a finger at him, then gesturing to, in his words _"beat it."_

Sunny raised his eyebrows and looked down at his garbs, he was wearing a dark blue tunic with brown slacks and grey boots. He quickly noticed his apparel was finer quality than anyone else there, _was he mad at him for having better clothes? But that isn't fair._ This conviction made Sunny raise a eyebrow, but he didn't comment on it. He sighed in defeat, _I guess I'll just wait for Mari to come back out here._ But before Sunny stepped out of the line someone spoke up.

"I'll pay for his passage!" Someone exclaimed, reassuring the man. It was a young woman with chestnut brown hair in a shoulder length bob cut. She had warm brown eyes, along wearing a long cream white dress with a brown tunic over top of it. She payed the toll, tossing a few silver coins into the man's pouch with one hand, while the other was holding what seemed to be a picnic basket. Then climbed onto the wagon ushering Sunny to follow her, which he quickly does feeling the glare of the supposed driver behind him. He takes his seat on the left side of the wagon next to woman. Her eyes turned to Sunny giving a gentle smile.

"T-thank you, I'll make sure to pay you back!" he hastily replied, not wanting to seem rude to his newfound sponsor.

"Don't worry, it's not an issue. Just make sure you remember to bring coins next time you come here." She responded, sounding slightly amused. "Charlie isn't much of a fan of non-patrons, so excuse his behavior." She apologized, Sunny simply nodded in response. There was dead air between them for a few seconds as the wagon started rolling, but the woman cleared it up with a question to brush off the awkwardness.

"So.. Why are you going to the outskirts? Not to sound rude or anything, but you don't find a lot of nobles passing through here." She asked inquisitively

"Uh, My sister is having a picnic out there, I'm hoping to join her.." Sunny replied quietly, _he was hoping she was, anyways._

"Oh that's lovely, it's a perfect day for it." She expressed, sighing contently. "My name is Polly, I'm one of the farmers who works and lives on the outskirts." She said, gesturing her hand out to Sunny.

He took her outstretched hand and lightly shook it with his own. "Nice to meet you, I'm-.." Sunny trailed off, He wasn't sure if to say his name or not. There was most likely plenty of other kids named Sunny in the kingdom, but they didn't have the face to match his, which was troublesome. But Polly's features didn't seem to falter when not given a name, She simply smiled and nodded her head in seemingly understanding way. And turned her gaze to the field ahead of the wagon. It had been a few minutes on the bumpy gravel road when Polly finally said something to Sunny again.

"Y'know, at home I live with a boy who's around your age, I'd think you'd like him." She said thoughtfully.

This intrigued Sunny, he hadn't seem anyone who looked around his age while he was out. Much less met someone, people his age might as well had been completely foreign to him. Since the only one who he knew that got close to that idea was Mari, and she was his sister.

"Really?" he asked, hoping she would press on forward with the subject.

"Yes. Actually I've been taking care of his grandmother in exchange for a place to stay. He's a very kind boy, which makes it very sad that he doesn't have many friends. Though that's kinda to be expected since outside the kingdom people are pretty scarce and far apart. But that still doesn't make it okay..." Polly explained trailing off near the end, her eyebrows furrowing as if she was thinking about something.

"Oh! Sorry! I kinda went on a tangent there, didn't I?" Polly apologized snapping back into reality.

"No it's okay, I liked hearing about it." Sunny reassured blankly, "What is his name?" he asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" She responded, looking confused.

"The boy you live with, the one who's grandmother you're taking care of?" He clarified, hoping it would ring a bell to what they she was **just** talking about.

"Oh! His name is Basil, sorry I guess I'm out of sorts today." Polly answered remorsefully.

Sunny raised an eyebrow, _Basil? That's not a name you hear a lot. Wait, isn't that a name of a flower? No wonder he lives on the outskirts._

After that Polly talked to Sunny more about Basil and life on the outside of the kingdom. From an outsiders point of view, it would seem like she was almost talking to a brick wall. But Sunny was listening and didn't mind letting her speak, it was more interesting than anything he had to say anyways. Also besides the **_interesting_** name, he and Basil seemed like one and the same. In fact according to Polly, he really liked flowers. Like **really** liked flowers, to the point where Sunny noted that as a conversation topic if he ever met him. He also was a fan of books too, which according to Polly, it was a rare thing. Especially out here since most children in town were illiterate anyways to begin with. This was news to Sunny since he thought everyone could read. **Like who on this BLOODY planet made it so only nobles and royalty could learn to read!?** Cause Sunny would like to have a chat.

Aside from that, Sunny wondered if god was missing one of it's angels because Basil seemed to fit the bill of angel incarnate. At least by how Polly spoke of him, not in a weird way of course. But just that he was a very nice and polite kid. Sunny was sure he had flaws, everyone does. But he was also very curious, to how he would perceive him if Sunny ever met him. Which he was for certain he wasn't going to, why would he? He just came here to find his sister, not to make friends. _**Yet.**_

Before he knew it. The wagon ride was over, and Sunny had to say goodbye to Polly. He waved goodbye to her, and set off on his quest to find his sister. Sunny was starting off with the path, he didn't want to go through the fields to possibly ruin the farmers handy work. But after walking for awhile, Sunny decided to go through the grass to see if Mari would've set up the picnic somewhere around there. But to his dismay no picnic in sight, but he did spot a hill which he figured would give more of the high ground to spot Mari anywhere around the area. After a bit of climbing, he made to the top of the hill. But, still no Mari in sight. _Well at least he got this nice view of everything below._ Sunny plopped down on the ground carelessly in hopes a break would help him think. What he didn't expect was to hear a tiny shriek in the distance. As Sunny tried to turn his head around he saw a purple flower narrowly missing where his hand had landed. _Whoops._

Sunny turns himself over to face the flower, _it was a beautiful flower for sure._ As he was about to reach out his hand to check if he harmed it in anyway, two arms blocked his way as they circled around it, guarding the flower. Sunny looked up to see who the arms belonged to retracting his own hand in the process, it was a boy. A boy that definitely was around his age, he had sandy blonde locks and two sky blue eyes that did not look very pleased with him being here. Along with that he wore a white buttoned up shirt with suspenders that held up his brown trousers. Covering his hands were green rubber gloves that seemed to be shaking a little as they protect the flower in front of it.

"D-don't hurt it. You- you, flower killer!" The boy squeaked, seeming to barely keep himself together with his eyes locked close as if bracing for impact of an explosion.

This left Sunny dumbfounded, not out of shock or dejection for being called a "flower killer". But out of pure astonishment that this boy would think he'd kill a flower, on purpose? _What kind a deranged living thing would kill a flower on purpose?! He sure wouldn't and he was pretty sure he was in the majority._

"I'm not a flower killer. And I wasn't going to hurt it!" Sunny denied, a little offended that anyone would think that low of him, or anyone for that matter.

"O-oh yeah? How do I know you're not lying!?" He argued with one eye open looking at Sunny with an accusatory glare.

"Because," Sunny started, gesturing his hand the way he did moments ago. "This was how I was going to touch it." then moved his hand above the flower, holding it out flatly. "This is would be what my hand would like if I was trying to hurt it." He explained, quickly moving his hand away from the flower afterwards. Sunny hoped this would be enough to convince the boy that he wasn't a threat to plant kind.

But disappointingly, he didn't seem convinced. With his eyes narrowing and arms moving closer to the plant. _Well you can't please everyone, at least Sunny_ _tried._

Sunny sighed, "I can tell when I'm not wanted, I'll leave you alone with your Viola odorata." He said begrudgingly, getting up from his sitting position, to only when taking a few steps forward to hear the boy call after him.

"Wait!" Sunny turned his head, _he thought he wanted him to leave...what does he want?_

The boy's face flushed a bit at the eye contact and looked away. But he didn't stop speaking, "Uh, How.... how did you?-" The boy asked, but seeming to not find the right words. He pointed to the flower.

Sunny looked at the flower a little confused, from that he didn't have much to go off of. "The Viola odorata?" he answered, a bit puzzled.

The boy hastily nodded, still not looking at Sunny even as he spoke again. "That. How do you know about _that?"_ he asked a bit stiffly.

"I read a lot of books, some of them about flowers. I try to make it a game to see if I can name all the flowers in the garden sometimes." Sunny replied, thinking back to if he ever won that game. But he realizes he's getting side tracked and continues. "Anyways, the Viola odorata or sweet violet, as some people call them. They're really pretty, I've never got to see one in person before. But I kinda think they're underrated, because they smell really good but people around here see them as weeds since they're an invasive species." Sunny said, finishing off his analysis. Only to realize he's gotten really close to the violet, and in extension to the boy too. Who's staring at him with this intent but also bewildered look on his face. _Shoot, I think I've made him uncomfortable._

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to get close to the flower. I'll just go-" Sunny apologized, trying to get up while doing so. Only feel a tug on his sleeve and a,

"No! wait!-" The boy squeaked, with a slight look of desperation in his eyes. He had Sunny's full attention now, turning over as the boy let go of his sleeve, to grasp his own arm.

"I'm sorry... for calling you a flower killer, it's like you said. A lot of people think of this flower as a weed, so I was paranoid that someone was going to kill it. So I'm sorry." He apologized, keeping his eyes glued to the grass.

"It's okay, but why would I kill a flower on a hill that isn't mine?" Sunny asked, kind of amused by the idea.

"I don't know! there's some seriously messed up people out there." The boy argued, pouting a little.

_Boy, does Sunny know that more than ever._

"Anyways, now that I've apologized. Can you do me a favor?" He asked, a little apprehensively.

Sunny gave him an inquisitive look. _Do apologies come with having to do favors out here? That's weird._

"Um, since I've been so paranoid about my violet getting along the lines of trampled out here. I was wondering if you could help me relocate her to my house so I can keep better watch." The boy continued, but before Sunny could even respond he spoke again.

"You don't actually have help me or anything! I just.... just thought it would be nice to have some company is all. And you could even see the flowers I have my house later.." He said nervily, putting a hand to the back of his head while seeming to study the grass below him.

Sunny now felt conflicted. He was originally going to decline so that he could look for his sister like he initially intended, but how he could he tell him no after he said that?! It's like a putting a puppy in front of someone and telling them to kick it! It's impossible for a morally decent person! Besides, Sunny has never talked to any other children besides Mari, and this could be his chance. Even if he called him a murderer of flower kind, there _**are**_ worse people out there. Like kings with stinky feet. So Sunny came to a compromise.

"Uh... Sure. But can you help me find my sister afterwards? I've been looking for her all day.." He asked sheepishly, hoping he wasn't requesting too much from someone he just met.

The boy perked up from his view of the greenery. Having a newfound look of intrigue with a hint of worry on his face, he responding with urgency. "Your sister? Well then we gotta go find her!" Before Sunny could even react, The boy grabbed his hand and started off down the hill dragging his body along with him.

"Wait! What about your flower?!" Sunny asked, jittery. With his hand still being held captive.

The boy whipped his head back towards Sunny, slowing down to a stop as he did so. Looking slightly confused to what he meant. Then recognition washed over his features. "Hm? Oh! Don't worry about it! This is more important!" He reassured with a smile before focusing up ahead and breaking into a run again, while still having a hold on Sunny's hand despite his unsaid protests.

Sunny had trouble keeping up the pace, he held onto his hand tighter in attempt to not fall behind. Making his cheeks suddenly flush, which made Sunny question if all the running was already making him tired. And although appreciating the boy's concern into his issue, he wondered if that made him too nice for his own good or dumb for taking his word on it. _It was probably_ _both._

Once they had finally made a bit of a distance from the hill, they both stopped to take a breather. The boy releasing his hand from captivity as they did so. Sunny felt like death, or getting close to **death**. He had never ran so much in his entire life. Sunny had always been a bit scrawny compared to most and not one to be incredibly active, but that fact never bothered him until now. _So **this** is why Mari has been on him to get out more. _Sunny looked over to the other person with him, still crouching over with his hands on his knees. He looked almost if not as tired out as Sunny was, loosening the collar of his shirt a little for more room to breath while struggling to keep steady on his legs. A smile creeped it's way onto Sunny's face. He might've been a little delirious by how tired he was, but Sunny appreciated that he wasn't alone.

After awhile of catching their breath, both of them were steady on their feet. Which at one point, the boy turned over Sunny with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for dragging you all the way down the hill, that was a bit thoughtless of me." He awkwardly apologized.

Sunny gave him an unimpressed look that made him laugh, albeit a little awkward one, but it didn't have any displeasure behind it. After all that was said and done, they continued their search for his sister. With no running this time, which Sunny appreciated but he had no idea where this shy but thoughtless boy was leading him. But as if he was reading his thoughts, he spoke. "We're heading over to where my house is. It's not too far from where the traveling wagon is, so if your sister following the road then it wouldn't be long before she passes by it." _Wow, that's better thinking than anything that Sunny could've come up with. But that's probably because he knows the area better._ As they continue walking, Sunny gazes around his surroundings. They were walking along a dirt path that had fields of wheat of both sides of it. He couldn't see over them due to his height, which made him feel like he was in some sort of wheat house, with wheat walls. But when he looked up he could see the sky, it hadn't gotten late yet, it still seemed to be the middle of the day. But there were more clouds than there were earlier. _huh._

"Gee, I hope it doesn't rain today. It was so beautiful this morning." The boy huffed, making Sunny notice that he appeared right beside him now. Looking up at the sky with him, albeit with a frown.

"How? It doesn't look like it's going to rain to me." Sunny asked, looking back up at the clouds inquisitively, but seeing nothing sounding any alarms in his head.

"Well, it might just be me. But usually when it's going to rain sometimes, puffy clouds tend to get higher in the sky. See?" He answered, pointing his finger at a particular fluffy cloud.

Sunny looked to where he was directing his finger to, the cloud in particular was weirdly shaped. It looked like something other than cloud. Sunny focused his vision on it, trying to put his finger on what he thought it was. When it came to him, he stopped dead in his tracks. Making the boy stop a few steps ahead and turn over with a concerned look planted on his face. "It looks like a sheep." Sunny said flatly, having his eyes locked dead serious on the boy a few feet in front of him. He tilted his head with his expression going from concerned to confused. This made Sunny cheeks tint realizing he wasn't very clear about what he meant.

"T-the cloud." Sunny added, refusing to look him the eye while pointing to it. Not too long after the words left his mouth, an explosion of laughter came from the boy. Sunny was too ashamed to look him the eye in case he was laughing at him. But from the corner of his eye he could see him laughing, but not the way he was expecting. Both of his arms were clutching his stomach with his head bent downward but Sunny could still see that he was also crying. Though they didn't seem to be sad tears, since his laughter emanated anything but sorrow. In between breaths of laughter he let out few words, "Y-yeah it really does!" The comment made Sunny feel a little sheepish, but somehow a lopsided grin was on his face.

After a few chuckles, (some small ones from Sunny as well.) They got back to traveling with not much conversation besides the occasional comment every so often. But when they arrived at a small cottage, he spoke up.

"Here we are. This is my house." He announced with not much merit, which Sunny could understand. It wasn't the most impressive place. The roof seemed to be covered with straw with a yellow-ish tint, with the walls looking the same but paler and not made of such thin material. Sunny could see a few windows from where he stood, but besides that the entire house was obscured by all kinds of greenery and flowers. There was a path to get through it all, with a few planks a top it, but nothing else to make note of. And sure this house didn't wasn't the most stunning one Sunny had seen on his journey here. But, it had a kind of charm to it that wouldn't make people turn up their noses at the sight of it. _Oh yeah, He could see this kid living here._

"Sorry if the front is a bit of a mess, there's a few weeds out here. But I can't bring myself to kill them." he apologized with a slight grimace.

"Why not? Aren't weeds bad for your garden?"

"Yes. But it feels wrong to kill them, when flowers get to stay and flourish.."

"...."

"I know it sounds foolish, but to me. Even weeds are _beautiful_."

Sunny couldn't quite comprehend what he meant by that. Weeds would only act as competition for nutrients against flowers, So the logical thing to do is get rid of them. So he was right for assuming Sunny thinks he's airheaded, because he clearly is. But even if he couldn't understand it, the blissful look on the boy's features made him want to. _Maybe when Sunny's older and wiser he'll understand, or maybe he won't. Again it did sound ridiculous._

As Sunny gave this boy's ideals more thought, his eyes wandered to a plant that he didn't notice, on a fence he clearly overlooked. It was being held in a clay pot, with white blooms adorning petals that shaped them like a bells. He remembered reading about these once, but couldn't quite place their name. While Sunny listed names of flowers in his head to see if any seemed to match the bud in front (with no luck). A voice next to him interjected his train of thought.

"Oh! Are you looking at the Lily of the valley? Pretty neat, huh? They're said to be able to ward off evil spirits and help people see a brighter future. It's interesting don't you think?"

_Dammit that's what it was!_

"Yeah, I knew what they were. I just couldn't think of the name." Sunny answered, a bit bitter that he couldn't think of it.

Thinking about it more, it brought light to a memory, that Sunny almost forgot about.

* * *

Sunny was reading in his personal corner of the royal library. It was in the dark and cold corner near a very small and high up window, that on good days brought the smallest amount of light for Sunny be able to read. But for most of his trips here he brought a candle. No one ever visited this part of the library unless they had to, which was almost never so it was the _almost_ perfect place if Sunny wanted to hide or have some peace without anyone barging in. But it was only _almost,_ because there was one other person who knew exactly where this place was and visited frequently.

"Hey! Whatcha reading?" A voice exclaimed, interrupting the peace and almost giving Sunny a heart attack. It was _Mari._

After nearly dropping his book in shock, Sunny turned his head and gave a death stare to the taller figure crouching over his shoulder. His older sister was wearing a lilac dress with long sleeves that rung out in a wavier frame, the collar was in a square shape with golden thread tied in adorning it. The dress was long enough that you couldn't see her feet, but she could definitely still run in it if she wanted to. _And she has proven able to, **multiple** times. She was able to outrun Sunny more than not in that thing and he was wearing boots. Though that was probably more of a problem with him than his clothes._ Mari usually had her hair down and free, but today she had it done in a fishtail braid. It probably had to do with her next heir duties, but maybe she just wanted to look pretty like she does every now and then. On top of it, was the crown. Mari's crown. She wore it everyday at almost every waking moment. Only taking it off to sleep or for safe keeping in case she was doing something that could have it dirtied or damaged. It was pure gold melding with white rhinestones only decorating it, With a curve upward in the center finishing it off, that when perfectly placed curves right at the hairline. Mari was very proud of it, she always seemed to stand taller when she wore it. She quotes that _it makes me feel like all my hard work was worth something._

Though Sunny couldn't appreciate that sentiment at the moment. With the raven haired girl staring at him and expecting an answer, seeming to be very unfazed by his expression directed at her, even her smile seemed to widen at it. Sunny sighed, turning his head back to what he had been skimming through in his book. He pushed it in her direction for her to look at, not wanting to waste any energy explaining when she could just see it for herself. After a few "hmm's" and "oh's" Mari turned back to Sunny with a grin.

"This is a really pretty flower. Do we have these in the garden?" She asked, with a tilt of her head. Sunny shook his head, when he first found out about lily of the valley he went searching for them himself but there was none.

"That's a shame." She responded looking slightly disappointed with her smile faltering. But quickly saving her resolve with a suggestion. "I guess I'll have to ask the gardener if we could get some, They're really pretty and it would be a real disappointment if we didn't have any."

Sunny hadn't thought to do that, though it was probably because he didn't like to bother people and that it hadn't upset him too much. But he was glad Mari wanted to get some, it gave him more of a reason to want it too.

"Hey, what do you think of them Sunny? I personally think these are my favorite out all the ones you've shown me."

Sunny had to think about that for second, Sure he liked them. But he couldn't figure why, it wasn't just because they were pretty. There was definitely a reason he favored them over others. He turned over to his sister's smiling face and realization hit.

* * *

_"They remind me of-"_

"OMORI!"

A voice interjected both of the boys focus on the flower and snapping sunny out of his thoughts as they quickly turned around to see who the voice belonged to. A recognizable mop of raven black hair and midnight black eyes faced them from a few feet away. Sunny couldn't believe it. The individual made a mad dash towards Sunny, making him flinch as she pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh there you are little brother! I'd thought I'd never find you" Mari exclaimed, tone filled with relief. It made Sunny feel for leaving in first place but also amazing to see her. _It had been a long day._

"I'm sorry Mar-" Sunny tried apologize only to get cut off.

"And who's this?" Mari asked, a little too nervously that Sunny picked up on it. He gave her a questionable look before letting it go to focus on the boy off to the side. He looked slightly uncomfortable under the gaze of him and inquisitive intrigue of Mari. He seemed he didn't like being put on the spot, Sunny could relate. But sadly he couldn't help him here, Sunny didn't even know his name. How could he introduce someone he didn't even know the name of?

The boy took a shaky breath, and he spoke. "My name is Basil, Sorry for keeping your brother. I thought just staying in one place could help you find each other, and I guess I was right. Hehe."

_Wait. This was the kid Polly told him about, Basil was this boy?! How did Sunny not guess that?!_

"That's a nice strategy you got there ha ha." Mari said with a smile. "I'm Sicari, and this numbskull over here is Omori." Mari added. _Wait. **What!?**_

Now Sunny was really confused. He looked over to Mari, imploring an explanation. But she continued looking over to Basil as he started talking.

"Well...well it's nice to meet you Sicari, and it's nice to finally know your name too. Omori." Basil stammered with a small grin. _That wasn't his name though._

"Likewise, Basil. Thanks for taking care of my **idiot** brother for me, he can be quite **thoughtless** and **impulsive** sometimes." Mari responded sweetly. Even though how she phrased the words, _Thoughtless_ and _impulsive_. Spoke different levels. _Ouch, he's in trouble._

Basil gave a sympathetic look to Sunny that seemed to say that he knew who she was actually talking to. He appreciated the concern, even though no concern could hide his soon to be dead body.

"Anyways, Me and Omori here. Are going to have picnic with some friends. Would you like to come?" She asked. _Great, invite the boy I barely got to know to come to my funeral, along with the list of strangers I only hear about._

"Oh I couldn't possibly! There....There probably wouldn't even be enough room for me." Basil denied, hesitating on his words.

"Nonsense! There's always room for more people! Besides I want to get to know Omori's new friend." Mari insisted, putting a hand on Sunny's head and messing with his hair. _She has **no** shame, does she?_

"I- um, I don't know... Are we even?-" he muttered, completely flustered and trying find a way to decline without being bashful. And failing, _**miserably.**_ So much so that Sunny couldn't stand to watch, he pushed Mari's hand off his head and made his way towards Basil till he was standing approximately a foot away from him. He placed his hand on his shoulders to get his attention, and he had it.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." He said blankly, but before Basil could have the chance to respond, Sunny spoke again. "And for what it's worth, I'd think....like to think we're friends." He said it quietly enough that Mari couldn't hear but loud enough that Basil could hear it clearly. But he couldn't stand looking him in the face while saying it. _W_ _ay too embarrassing. Why did he even say that?_

Sunny quickly put his hands to his sides and took a few steps back. This was really out of character for him, it made his stomach feel weird. Maybe it's because he related to Basil and wanted to help him? Yeah that had to be it. He looked back up to Basil, who looked slightly off putted by Sunny attempt at comforting him. But he was smiling, even if it was a lopsided one.

"Um, I guess I could come. I don't really have much to do, thank you for inviting me Sicari." he said, a little nervously but grateful.

"No problem, Now we should get going. But I need to talk to Omori for second. So do you mind?" Mari asked. _Well, he's dead._

"Oh sure." Basil agreed then walked away from the entry way of the house. Mari watched him until he was out of sight before turning to Sunny with a disappointed grimace.

Mari gave him the lecture Sunny expected, "Don't run off to places you don't know without me" and "You could've gotten hurt! Or lost! take this seriously." Or something along the lines of that, cause he was only half listening but he wasn't going to argue with her. He learned his lesson, and was definitely not going to pull that again. At least not anytime soon. After she finished she gave him a smirk.

"Anyways despite going behind my back. You did a really good job sneaking out of the castle without anyone noticing. The only thing that eluded me to you it was your open window." She congratulated, giving him a slight nudge with her elbow. Sunny gave her a weak smile before switching back to his neutral expression. There was a question he needed to ask her.

"Why did you say that your name is Sicari? And why did you call me Omori? We only used those names for games we used to play when I was eight." Sunny asked, turning to face her with his eyebrows furrowing.

Her expression faltered a little at his question before turning into a guilty one. "You caught onto that, huh? Yeah sorry about that. But those are our names now, at least around them."

"Can't take any chances, can we?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. It's for the best."

"What if they find out?"

Mari looked down and grimaced, she didn't seem to like the thought. But she quickly put on a smile. "Well, then they know. It's up to them to how they take it." She reasoned.

There was suffocating silence for awhile, Mari and Sunny just stood there staring at each other. But it disappeared when Mari snickered and turned her gaze to the cottage. "That Basil kid has a really charming home.He seems really sweet too. You picked a nice friend to have." _Sunny didn't like the idea that Mari was already assuming they're friends. Even though he **would** like to be his friend, he wasn't going admit that!_

"We're not friends."

"Yet. Why wouldn't you not be friends with him?"

"He called me a flower killer."

This statement made Mari explode with laughter, "Really?! What did you do to make him call you that?" Mari said, choking on her laughter.

Sunny felt his ears burn, "Noth..... Nothing." he denied. It already felt embarrassing despite nothing really happening at that point.

"Well it seems like he isn't mad at you anymore. So I won't push it." She concluded. _Thank god. He didn't really feel like explaining._

"Now that that's settled, ready to go?" Mari asked with award winning smile and a hand out to Sunny.

Sunny stared at the outstretched hand for a second. It felt like the beginning of a new story he'd read in the library by himself. But this time, it felt like he was actually in it. The real question was what story was he reading this time?

He grabbed her hand.


End file.
